“Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce our commanding officer here at top gun. You will not find a finer aerial combatant anywhere in the world- Commander Michelle Metcalf. Callsign Viper.” the other witch says, motioning to the newcomer.

She looks out over your gathered class of maybe 20 pilots and witches. “You are the top one percent of all naval fighter pilots and witches. Elite. The best of the best.” she pauses. “We'll make you better. You'll fly at least two sorties a day, ten classes in between, with evaluations of your performance.”

She walks down the center of the room, in between the rows of leather bench seats occupied by the incoming class. “And in case some of you were wondering who the best is” she stops, looking at you briefly, “they're on the plaque on the wall here. The best driver or witch in their class has their name on it. And they have the option to come back here and be top gun instructors” She looks at you again. “Think your name is going to be on it?”


[] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)
[] Of course. (arrogant as HELL)
[] I guess we'll find out. (diplomatic)
[] Other (write in)

File: 1347407932407.jpg-(122 KB, 800x533, HOOYAHTimeforSWQ89.jpg)

>>20689160

[X] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)

Been looking forward to this.

File: 1347407989413.png-(Spoiler Image, 217 KB, 1000x700)

>>20689152
[] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)
I however, perfer that other quest that never happens set earlier in the same universe

>>20689160
[x] I guess we'll find out. (diplomatic)

I feel this is best,. That and cute Merlin OP is cute.

>>20689160
>[] I guess we'll find out. (diplomatic)
Let's not go too far, just yet.

>>20689160

"But Ma'am, I poop from there."

[x] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)

Professionalism always.

File: 1347408569437.jpg-(29 KB, 400x400, MisatoMiyasumi.jpg)

>>20689198

Merlin is always cute. She reminds of pic related, but flatter.

>>20689160
[x] I guess we'll find out. (diplomatic)

>>20689160
[X] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)

Professionalism ho!

Fuck yeah!

>>20689318
Is she a dependable sort? I like Merlin because she's cute, sort of spunky but balanced out by a sense of dependability (I.e. not a complete little sister type)

That and breasts are not everything.

[] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)

We are supremely confident in our team's capabilities!
Just not arrgoant about it.

>>20689160
[] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)
We are not tom cruise

>>20689415

I agree. Let our old partner-in-crime Mav catch hell for being cocky.

File: 1347409352960.jpg-(20 KB, 464x269, CougarTopGun.jpg)

>>20689424

Yep. We Cougar now (I think)

>>20689424
We're not Gnome Young either. Not a bad thing as /tg/ already has one and that's more than enough.

>>20689160
[x] I guess we'll find out. (diplomatic)

File: 1347409946694.jpg-(30 KB, 520x350, Her reaction. more or less.jpg)

[x] Yes, Ma'am, I do. (professional)

You take a second, considering your options. Then you look her dead in the eyes. “Yes Ma'am, I do” you say, nodding.

“that's pretty arrogant, considering the company you're in” she says not quite harshly. “I like that in a pilot. Just remember, when it's all over out there we're all on the same team” She looks away.

“People, this school is about combat. There are no points for second place. Dismissed”

She, and the other instructors leave the room, while your new classmates all stand up, filing out of the doors at the back of the room. “The, plaque for the alternates is down in the lady's room” Ice quips as you walk by, and Slider bursts out laughing.

The rest of the day is eaten up with the rest of the in-processing tripe. Paperwork, mostly. For you, there's extra work as you find yourself the only pilot here who didn't bring a fighter with them. Fortunately for you, the west coast reserve squadron is in the immediate area, and had one on the base within a few hours of your assignment here.

There's a not-technically-required but “strongly suggested” event at a local club the school as 'adopted'. It's actually a fairly nice place, according to local rumor. You've got a few hours till then, how would you like to spend them?

[] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[] as above, drag Merlin along
[] Make sure your dress whites are as nice as you left 'em.
[] Make phone calls! Your in processing mentioned that family is ok, though you're still on duty here. They can stay with the aunt and uncle or something. Or your place in town.
[] Antagonize one of your witches!
[] other

[] Antagonize one of your witches!
When was the last time we annoyed one of them? 10 minutes? That's too long

[] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[] as above, drag Merlin along

We need to make sure everything is in place and we know our bird, so we don't miss something and screw up. Being the best here is the most important thing, and the bird is a big part of it.
ALSO, gotta keep our adaaawable RIO in the loop, and let her gauge the fit-ness of our bird. She is a machine-whisperer, yaknow.

>>20689601

[X] Antagonize one of your witches!

Time to counter-troll Maverick for almost shattering poor Sammy's innocence with that crack she made about...the size of our stick.

After that we'll

[X] Check out the fighter, drag Merlin along!

>>20689601
[x] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[x] as above, drag Merlin along
See if we can get more on this 'talking to planes' shit. That seems pretty cool.

[x] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[x] as above, drag Merlin along, nicely
-[x] Check what she wants to do afterwards.

It's not right dragging her everywhere without letting her drag us a few places.

>>20689601
Check our new plane, with Merlin

>>20689601
>[] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
>[] as above, drag Merlin along

We need our girls at top performance

>>20689601
[X] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[X] as above, drag Merlin along

We need to make sure our lady love is doing well, and Merlin's also really important.

>>20689601

[ ] Check out your bird!
- [ ] Drag ALL THE WITCHES ALONG

File: 1347410594163.jpg-(29 KB, 438x375, Holo.jpg)

So far we have most of the Top Gun characters in one form or another. I wonder if Hollywood and Wolfman will be showing up.

I predict Wolfman is an expy of Holo.

>>20689759
surely you mean leman russ

>>20689759
I haven't watched Top Gun in far too long, but I'm pretty sure there's no pilot in the world with Horo's grasp of economics.

File: 1347412160456.jpg-(56 KB, 450x281, more or less.jpg)

[x] Check out the fighter! It's not your bird, or your ground crew, and it pays to know the aircraft
[x] as above, drag Merlin along

Inprocessing done, you've got a few hours to kill. And what better way to kill 'em, you think, than drooling over your favorite kind of girl.

“Hey Meeeeeeerrlin” you say, dragging out her name. “Let's go mess around in the hangar”

“I... wh..wh..what?” She says, turning a furious shade of crimson. You hold up a hangar badge. “We got us a new fighter. Let's go mess around with it”

Yeah, you yelled at Maverick for trying to corrupt your RIO. Mostly because that's YOUR job. Bitch was encroaching on your turf, dammit.

“Y... yeah, haha, that's what I thought you said” Merlin says, her blush fading. She's learning fairly quickly, you think. That said, though, she's till painfully easy to tease.

It takes almost no time to get from the admin building to the hangars, where various fighters are parked. The striker stands are kept in the same hangars, but they have a much smaller footprint, so the ground crews tend to cram three of four strikers into the same space one 'cat would take up.

Your new bird is sitting on the ground, her paint still wet in places, almost. The old squadron badges on the tails have been removed, but your own haven't been put on yet, and the nose is still the flat black of an older navy scheme.

Merlin's already 'talking' to the jet as you climb up into the cockpit. You're not sure what you were expecting to see- it's a -14B, just like your bird was, thank god. Fucking underpowered A models. You have to adjust the ejection seat some- the ferry pilot was apparently a midget. The known faults book doesn't say much- the bird was pulled from storage for you, and all of the known faults are limited, which you approve of. Nothing worse than a broken bird.

(1/2)

Well, a broken bird you didn't break.

You look down at Merlin, who's apparently still chatting with your new bird. “What's she saying?” you yell down. Merlin just shrugs. “Anxious to fly” She says. “Eager, almost.” she smiles. “Very eager.”

Good, Good. You're not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds good, right?

“Anything else I should know?” You ask, climbing out of the cockpit and back down to the concrete hangar floor.

“Her radar is brand new, just installed. The power plants were just overhauled, and most of the electronics were as well. Other than that? Not really.”

Well, that settles that. This one definitely isn't a broken-down old warhorse, like you've heard the reserve squadrons have. Still, you two spend a few hours poking around the fighter, noting that she's practically new-build. Everything's clean- hell, even the Afterburner petals aren't discolored by heat yet, and that usually happens within the first dozen hours of flight. You take the time to meet the ground crew, who, between the six of them, have nearly fifty years of F14 experience.

You spend some time chatting with them as well- they're good guys, it seems like, friendly enough, but there's still that distance between flight and ground crews between you. Some things, you guess, never change.

“Hey” Merlin says, poking you in the ribs. “We need to get back to the room and change. We've got that thing at the club to do. Ice will be pissed at you if we miss it”

[] Ice is always pissed at me. Forget her.
[] Yeah, and the rest of the class would be too. Better go anyway
[] Other

>>20690153
[X] Yeah, and the rest of the class would be too. Better go anyway

"Come along Merlin, we need to suit up and look our best."

Give her another jet ride to our quarters, if she doesn't want one she'll have to outrun us.

[x] Yeah, and the rest of the class would be too. Better go anyway.

Merlin can talk to planes? Cool.

That and I'm curious what Merlin'd change into. It's also a good chance to find out more about the other witches.

>>20690153
>[] Ice is always pissed at me. Forget her.
But on the other hand
>[] Yeah, and the rest of the class would be too. Better go anyway

>>20690200

Seconding this choice and giving Merlin another jet ride. Yeah, she hates it when we do that but she'll learn to love it.

>>20690200
I like the way this man thinks.

>>20690225
I'm not so sure about that as I get the feeling she hates being treated like a kid.

As amusing as the jet ride may be, I don't think this is the right time.

>>20690200
Yeah, this. But make sure to give the chance to realise what's going on before swooping on her.

>>20690321
>>20690337

On second thought: you might be right. We can take her on another motorcycle ride on the next weekend pass. Merlin did love that.

Psycho-Anal. busefil Get your mind out of the gutter, captcha. We're NOT doing that with Merlin. Jesus...

>>20690384

Yeah man. She poops from there.

>>20690384
She is for tender loving if anything and not lewd smut.

>>20690491

Precisely why I scolded captcha. Merlin has some more growing-up to do first.

>>20690509
>20690509
....it's okay once she's grown though, right?

>>20690509
Growing up how? She seems pretty mature for her age.

>>20690536
Shut it you.

Maybe.

>>20690561

Merlin's only 15, friend. Current status: jailbait.

>>20690491
>>20690509
>>20690536
>>20690561
MERLIN IS LITTLE SISTER
SHE IS FOR SETTING UP ON AWKWARD DATES WITH NOHOPE GUYS WHILE WE SIT IN BUSHES WITH A LOADED SHOTGUN
THAT IS ALL

>>20690605

Maybe Merlin has a hot older sister she can hook us up with.

>>20690598
Yet she's deemed fit to risk her life in the military.

An immature 20 year old would be no better; she'd be worse as she'd bring pointless drama and such.

>>20690605
And thus the pigeon-holing begins

>>20690642
I ALMOST read that as
>hot older sister she can hook up with

File: 1347414626876.jpg-(181 KB, 338x800, Ice in her whites.jpg)

[x] Yeah, and the rest of the class would be too. Better go anyway

You sigh. You HATE things like with a seething, writhing kind of hate. The kind of hate that could start a crusade. The hate that nerds have of dodgeball, that kind of hate.

Alas, Merlin is right, and while Ice may forever have her problems with you, you'd rather not start out that way with the rest of the class.

You sigh again. “Yeah, you're right. Let's go” You tell the groundcrew that you'll share some beers later, and head back to the rooms.

Your uncle, a former marine himself, had your whites dry-cleaned and pressed, apparently- they look flawless. It takes you a good fifteen minutes to shower and shave- hot water is to be enjoyed, dammit. It takes another ten to actually get dressed.

They may be easy to stain, but FUCK do you look good in the damn things.

A few minutes later, Merlin emerges from her room, similarly dressed. You note, with some pride, that she elected to wear the 'normal' version of things, with the knee-length skirt.

“Well, let's go” She says. You grab your keys, and you both hit the door.

The club is fairly nice, if typical. The bar runs down one wall, and a stage runs off at an angle in the corner. It's medium sized, and there's a about an even mix of navy fliers and crew and civilians here, it seems like.

“Glad you made it” Maverick says, stepping away from the bar with Goose in tow. You eyeball her. “Aren't you a little young to be drinking?” You ask.

She shrugs as you look around. You see Slider off chatting with another witch you don't recognize, and Ice talking with a small group of... hey, you know that guy!

[] Davenport! Hey! Chopper!
[] Man, that dude talks FOREVER. Acquire drinks. Be surly in a corner somewhere.
[] Oi, Slider!
[] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

>>20690491
>>20690605
>>20690642

We'll see. The quest is still young after all...

>>20690663

OhYou.png

>>20690698
>[] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

>>20690698
[x] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

>>20690698
>[] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.
[] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

>>20690698
>Ice in her whites.jpg
>they're clearly black
[x] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

>>20690698

Music: http://endlessvideo.com/watch?v=KV80ZFnNxng

[X] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

Make sure Merlin settles in well. She seems like the shy type.

After the bet with Mav, we can chat up Chopper and Slider. I'd rather wait till Chopper is done talking with Ice: we don't need more shit from our superior officer.

>>20690698
>[] Davenport! Hey! Chopper!
I figure some one should vote for something else.

[x] Oi, Slider!

rolled 7 = 7

[x] Davenport! Hey! Chopper!
We're good buddies with this guy!

File: 1347415439316.gif-(227 KB, 480x270, LaughingGilgamesh.gif)

>>20690698

inb4 Davenport hits on Ice and she shoots him down in flames

File: 1347415508876.jpg-(115 KB, 563x506, Yep, totally you..jpg)

[x] Well, Maverick, the bet is twenty dollars.

“The bet is twenty dollars” You say, not quite looking at Maverick.

“Twenty dollars!”

“and you have to have carnal knowledge, of a lady, this time, on the premises”

“On the premises”

you catch her staring at a blond with short hair. She's a sitting at the bar, alone, kind of looking around.

“C'mon mav, a bet's a bet.”

Maverick looks over at you.

“Sorry man, she's lost it”

“lost... no. no she hasn't.”

“she's lost it”

“I hate it when she does that!” You grumble, heading to an unoccupied table yourself, Merlin and Goose following along.

The place has a karoke machine- and maverick is nothing if not predicable in these matters. Sure enough, less than a minute later, she's singing “You've lost that lovin feeling” to the astonished blonde.

Goose looks at you. “what was that all about?”
[] Before your time, kid
[] Well, see, we've got this bet
[] This? This is tonight's entertainment!
[] other

>>20690923
>[] This? This is tonight's entertainment!
>[]other

CUE KAROKE CONTEST!

>>20690923
[x] Well, see, we've got this bet

>>20690923
[x] Well, see, we've got this bet

[x] Before your time, kid

vain attempt to protect her innocence. Goose does come off as a little sister type to me.

>>20690923

[X] Well, see, we've got this bet.

"Just play along and be ready to join in on the chorus when the time is right, Mother Goose". Get Chopper and Slider's attention and wave them over to join in the fun.

>>20690976
Yeah but she's Maverick's little sister. We don't have to protect her, Maverick is supposed to be doing that.

>>20690940

>CUE KAROKE CONTEST!

I like.

>>20690923
[] Before your time, kid
[] Well, see, we've got this bet
[] This? This is tonight's entertainment!
[] other
I am going to make your life hell

>>20690993
she's more likely to corrupt her herself than any serious protecting.

>>20690976

>Maverick's RIO
>innocence

Don't bother. Goose's innocence is long gone; being partnered up with Mav has a way of doing that.

>>20691029
A good deal is still there, otherwise she'd have understood what was going on.

File: 1347417135034.jpg-(187 KB, 609x1000, GooseAndMaverick.jpg)

>>20691046

Poor Goose. Her innocence doesn't stand a chance.

File: 1347417281123.png-(218 KB, 360x614, what is... that.png)

>>20691238
Mein gott the chins...

File: 1347417375276.jpg-(52 KB, 600x357, Sheet music according to mav..jpg)

[x] Well, see, we've got this bet

You look at Goose. Word has it her older sister is a USMC witch, but you don't really know much about her. “Well, it's from back when both maverick and I were just assigned to the squadron. We made a bet in a bar one night that she couldn't leave with anyone she wanted.” You shrug, taking a sip of your water. “I lost that first bet. It's pretty much 50/50 these days”

“Oh” Goose says quietly. “That doesn't really surprise me.”

You grin, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “It isn't so bad. She's good people, just has less shame than the rest of us. Hey, chorus is coming up. Get ready to sing.”

“but I don't know the words!”

Still, she belts out something along with the rest of the pilots and witches, which is encouraging- Merlin just kind of sank back into her chair. Later, Davenport joins you, having noticed your table had both witches and free seats.

(1/2)

“Davenport!” You shake his hand, and quickly pull him into a back-thumping hug. “how ya been man? Shit, it's been a while!”

“yeah, no kidding!” he says, laughing. “what? Almost a year?”

you nod. “yeah!. Here, lemme introduce you. Davenport, this is Samantha 'Merlin' Wells, my witch RIO, and Nicole 'Goose' Bradshaw, one of our witches. Sam, Nicole, Alan 'Chopper' Davenport, old college and flight school buddy of mine”

He looks at you, then merlin. “Your RIO is a witch?” You nod. “Yep. Best damned RIO in the fleet.” he grins. “shit, man, don't let Orion hear that. He'd be heartbroken. Sorry to hear about him, by the way. He was a good man” “Still is” you correct

“yeah, that's what I meant”

“So who you flying with?” You ask, looking around.

“I'm like you. The one pilot in a buncha witches. What are the odds, right?”

You nod.

“I see you met my CO” you mention, looking at Ice, who's joined Slider's little group. Davenport looks over his shoulder at her and turns back with a grin. “Yeah, she's an interesting girl” he says, Taking a drink. “Sounds like she's got a problem with you?”

“well, I'm not entirely over Orion quitting because of her”

Chopper looks at you. “Ya know, word had it he was getting ready to get out anyway. You scared him”

From almost anyone else, that would be fighting words

[] The fuck you say
[] what?

[x] what?

I'm curious what caused this without provoking anything else.

>>20691297
[X] what?

This guy's an old bro, we give him a chance to explain before we have an emotional reaction towards it.

>>20691238
Or her neck if we follow canon.

>>20691297

[X] What?

Chopper's our bro, so there's no sense in getting our jimmies rustled.

After he explains, ask who his RIO is.

>>20691297
[x] what?
>>20691336
How does witch into ejector seat?

I dunno if Ice would thank us or do everything in her power to get us busted if we tried hooking her up with our bro Chopper.

>>20691382
I dunno but they can probably into blunt force trauma pretty easily.

>>20691452
Shields?

>>20691513
sometimes

File: 1347418734846.jpg-(10 KB, 259x194, Pilots, man.jpg)

[x] what?

You almost choke on your water. “what?” You say. “really?”

Chopper nods. “Yeah, kinda. We talked, ya know, after he got out. Said you were a hell of a pilot, but the shit you did was scary. Like..” the trails off, at a loss for words, apparently. “Like.. you were flying against a ghost up there, or something. Shit, man, I don't know.”

You shrug, and look at Merlin. “Well, do you think it's like that?”

She looks distinctly uncomfortable. “N..no. Not at all. At least..I... I don't think so”

You look back at Chopper, who shrugs. “I'm just sayin, man.”

“it's cool. His reasons are his, I guess.” you say. Still, it bothers you, to some extent. “so, hey, you never did say who your RIO was”

he laughs. “Guy named Zach Jackson. Callsign Stonewall. Good guy, probably not quite up to what you're used to though” he says. You laugh. “Stonewall Jackson, eh? Hell of a name”

Chopper laughs again. “yeah, I guess it is, at that.” he looks at his watch. “oh, shit man. Hey, hop 1 is in the morning. I'm going to head back and rack out. You might want to do the same. Put in a good word for me with your CO, will ya? She's kinda cute”

With that, he leaves, collecting his RIO from amidst Slider's group. The place is starting to thin out, a little, but you still haven't seen maverick, and she'd have let you know if she'd won the bet. Still, she's a big girl, and can probably handle herself- and Chopper is right, you have your first flight here in the morning.

[] Collect merlin, get some sleep.
[] Wait for Maverick, leave with the rest of the squadron.
[] other

>>20691576
>[x] Collect merlin, get some sleep.

oh man have we been scaring merlin with our stupid in flight antics oh god oh man

[x] Collect merlin, get some sleep.

The others can handle themselves.

>>20691576
[x] Collect merlin, get some sleep.
>>20691599
We are going to discuss the FUCK out of this.

>>20691599
I didn't think the MC was a student of "Gnome Young style" flying.

>>20691576
>[] Wait for Maverick, leave with the rest of the squadron.

>>20691645
If he wasn't, he wouldn't be here, would he?

>>20691576

[X] Other. Check with Merlin and see if she's tired. If she is then:

[X] Collect Merlin, get some sleep.

Goose and the others can keep an eye out for Maverick: Patty's a big girl and can handle herself. We'll find out from Goose tomorrow if we won or lost the bet (Mav will probably say she won regardless).

>>20691599
>>20691639

Absolutely. If we're scaring Merlin too, we should dial it back a little for her sake. I don't want to lose her as our RIO.

>>20691576
>[] Collect merlin, get some sleep.
We tired now

>>20691576
>>Collect merlin, wait for Maverick

Look out for the girls.

File: 1347421399044.jpg-(143 KB, 2240x1460, if it weren't that pretty(...).jpg)

[x] Collect Merlin, get some sleep.

He's right, and you know it. Besides, Mav is a big girl, she can handle herself- and her preflight bullshit doesn't take quite as long as yours. You escort Goose over to Ice and Slider's table, making sure she's got something close to adult supervision, then bid your squadron mates goodnight.

“You were lying back there” you say to Merlin as you walk across the parking lot. “I do scare you, don't I?”

“N-No!” she says. “it's just... You do things that I’ve never even heard of. The planes, too. They say they can't do something, then, bam, we're doing it. Like... the other night? When we got hit? The entire time, our plane was saying she wasn't going to make it, that we needed to get out. But you landed it!”
You look over at her as she gets on the bike, and she shrugs. “You do scary things, but I also... I also feel like, as long as I'm flying with you, I'll get home safe”

You go to sleep on a high note, that night.

You wake up and smell coffee. One cup of joe later, and a fast shower, and you're ready to go.

(1/3?)

You're directed, with merlin, to an older hangar, with the doors open and some school desks set up in the center. The desks are about half full, with that lieutenant commander standing up front. His call sign- “jester”- is apparently a holdover from earlier days, but you damn sure can't see it.

“gentlemen” he says. “two things. First, Let me introduce one of our analysts. Now, She's a civilian, so you DO NOT salute her, but you'd better listen to her, because the pentagon listens to her about your performance. Charlotte Blackwood- callsign Charlie.” The blonde, the one that maverick tried to serenade, walks from behind a parked A-4, and you hear maverick mutter “oh, shit”.

Apparently, things did not go well last night.

“We use F5s and A4s here” she says, launching straight into her own briefing. “now, these aren't perfect mig simulators- we know, for example, that the F5 is can climb faster than a mig, and the mig can't dive as well...but, yes Lieutenant?” She indicates you. “uh, ma'am, the data on the mig is inaccurate.”

“and how would you know that, lieutenant?”

“sorry, ma'am, that's classified”

“it's what?”

“classified? I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you”

“the pentagon sees to it that I know more than you do, lieutenant. So how is the data inaccurate?”

“well, ma'am, I saw one in a negative 4g dive”

“and where was this?”

“well, he was below me, so”

she cuts you off. “if he was below you, how could you see him?”

“Because I was inverted”

“at what range, lieutenant?”

“about... 2 meters? Maybe a meter and a half”

“so you were in a negative 4g, Inverted dive with a Mig29?”

you grin. “yes ma'am”

(2/3?)

“gentlemen” Jester cuts you off, before you can continue. The hard deck on this flight is three thousand feet, there will be no engagement below that height. Let's move it”

your trips through the support shops go fast- while the school is located in southern California, most of your flights take place over the big air complex out in Nevada, where the air force also runs red flag. It's about 30 minutes from here, by flight, less supersonic, but FAA regs mean you're not allowed to break the sound barrier above populated areas. Most of the time.

Yours is the third bird up- and Merlin was right. It fairly leaped off the ground, and is, by far, cleaner flying than you're used to. Even merlin is impressed- “It's got a new radar!” she squeals with delight.

Your simulated payload this flight is just dogfighting weapons- sidewinders and guns. You're not sure who's out there, but it could be just about anything. Or anyone.

[] Enter the range complex high and fast.
[] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.
[] High and at cruising speed. Your radar will pick 'em up before they're a threat.
[] Low and slow. Not exactly perfect, but hard to detect.

(3/3)

>>20692131
[x] Low and slow. Not exactly perfect, but hard to detect.

I love Merlin's reaction to the radar.

>>20692131
[x] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.
That fucking Merlin so adorable goddamn.

>>20692131
[] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.

[] Low and slow. Not exactly perfect, but hard to detect.

We can transition to low and FAST really quickly if we need to. Better to pounce on an unsuspecting target than to have to close with one that knows we're there.

Also, love the -4G data gathering mission on the MiG!
AND We Gnome Now!

>>20692205
That talk of the mission makes me think: Is the MC the reincarnation of Young or his grandson or great grandson?

>>20692131
>[] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.

>>20692226
Who says he has to be related/connected to Young at all?

>>20692131
[X] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.

Let's do this, trust Merlin to find our targets and then we blow them to hell. Their RIOs aren't as awesome as ours, let's take advantage of that.

File: 1347423775942.jpg-(9 KB, 480x360, hey look, it's you.jpg)

[x] Low and fast, terrain mask and hit 'em from where they can't see you.

You hit the range complex low and at speed, coming in just above the hard deck at your maximum dry speed. You're twisting around mountain peaks at several hundred miles an hour- most people would get sick just thinking about it.

Behind you, your RIO apparently doesn't care. “Bogie!” she yells. “One aircraft, eighty miles out. Heading... heading two six zero, altitude angels 12, speed three hundred knots. I don't think he sees us yet”

His heading puts him nearly head to head with you, while his speed means you've got a closure rate of nearly 800 knots- over 900 miles an hour. A mile every 4 and a half seconds, or so, assuming you both keep to your speed and heading.

[] Speed up, maintain altitude. You'll be giving up a height advantage, but it won't matter- you've got a better jet.
[] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!
[] Speed up, pop up. High and fast! He might see you coming, but he'd have a hell of a fight to get you

>>20692568
[X] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!

Keep as much stealth advantage as we can, play this smart, watch our tail as we're vulnerable to third parties while doing this.

[x] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!

>>20692568
>[] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!
I like clutter. Clutter is good.

[] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!
^this

then

THIS!!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C5EsK1cpiw

>>20692568
>[] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!
Be a ninja.

File: 1347425015987.jpg-(1.16 MB, 3008x1960, out over the coast.jpg)

[x] Slow down. Try and keep in the ground clutter as much as possible!

You reach over and your bird shudders as you throttle back, slowing down and trying to keep yourself in the ground crap. Most pilots, especially with the newer Doppler radar sets, set their gear to automatically 'squelch' targets below a certain speed, like terrain returns and, in some cases, ground vehicles.

You're doing what Ice calls 'prowling' and what Slider likes to call 'slithering'- rolling around, low and slow, waiting to pop up on some unsuspecting poor fucker and put 20mm shells into the underside of their bird. Works a bit different for them, of course, but the concept is the same.

“Tally ho!” Merlin calls. “10 oclock high. Single A4, slow continued right turn.”

If he continues that turn, you'll have excellent angle to plug in behind him and get your kills. Then again, he might be bait for something.

[] Screw it. Even if he's got a wingmate, they're nowhere to be seen. Free kill, kekekekekeke
[] Nope. Keep looking, merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.
[] we're close enough for a heater kill, maybe.
[] other

[x] Nope. Keep looking, merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.

It's too good to be true.... which naturally means it isn't true. I might be paranoid but we lack information on the opposition.

>>20692791
>[] Nope. Keep looking, merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.

>>20692791
Going after it is an amateur mistake so we change the rules of the game.

Think about where someone trying to bait us would be hiding, where they would lie in wait for whatever poor sap they drew in.

Then turn the tables on them, Go after them instead, nobody expects and ambush less than someone who thinks they're the one ambushing.

[x] Nope. Keep looking, Merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Can't let us get bounced right off! These are supposed to be top-level pilots, why would they be this easy? I mean, we're good, but not THAT good.

>>20692791
[x] Nope. Keep looking, merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.

>>20692791
[x] Nope. Keep looking, merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.
Maybe it's just paranoia, but it probably isn't.

File: 1347426083620.jpg-(194 KB, 337x800, maybe she's having better luck.jpg)

[x] Nope. Keep looking, Merlin. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Longingly, you look at the A4, then back down the the 'guns' switch. Nope. Too good to be true.

“Keep looking, Merlin. There's another one out there” you say, almost sadly.

“Scope's clear except that one bandit” she says. “I... wait.”

That's never a good sign. “wait?” you ask, maneuvering slowly to keep yourself below and behind the A4.

“Contact! Small bogie bearing 090, three miles out, closure rate 800 knots! Angels 4!” Merlin practically screams in your ear. “three oclock! It's a witch!”

You look over your right shoulder and, yep, sure enough, there's a little black dot Rapidly approaching out off your wing. You've got no radar warnings, no lock warnings, but if she's planning to use her guns you wouldn't get one anyway.

[]Shit! Punch it! Get out of her sights!
[] Bitch has must not know who you are! Roll into it.

>>20692951
[X] Bitch has must not know who you are! Roll into it.

Bring it on little girl. We'll show you how real pilots fly.

>>20692951
>[] Bitch has must not know who you are! Roll into it.
Let's do this thing.

[] Bitch has must not know who you are! Roll into it.
It's not an ambush if you know it's coming

>>20692951
[] Bitch must not know who you are! Roll into it.

[x] Bitch has must not know who you are! Roll into it.

keep the element of surprise.

>>20692951
[X]Shit! Punch it! Get out of her sights!
We're in a 14B and the Opfor is A-4s and F-5s, so we should have a thrust advantage, may as well abuse it. Accelerate towards the A-4 and try for a sidewinder kill while getting out of striker gun range. Unless there's missiles on strikers now.

File: 1347427096322.jpg-(58 KB, 648x365, wait, wrong bandit!.jpg)

[x] Bitch must not know who you are! Roll into it.

If you run, you die. You know it, it's hard truth. She's got angle to plug into your 6 the second you light the burners, and she's a lot lighter with far better thrust/weight- she'll out climb you in an eye blink, and there's that shitsucking A4 up there too.

So you don't run away from it. What was it Jake said? Best way to break an ambush is counterattack?

You slam the throttles forward to their stops, both afterburner lights coming alive on your panel as your cat lurches forward with a howl. Yanking the stick hard to the right, you snap-turn before you gain too much airspeed, maintaining your cornering velocity for just long enough that she shoots past you and has to do a long turn to re-engage, her own inertia too great to just stop.

Magic, you reflect, might let 'em do wacky shit, but physics still wins in the end.

You've got a second or three before she can turn around. You're low, but with your A/B lit up and your bird smoking along- you're supersonic, now, and closing on mach 2. Merlin still has the witch, out a few miles to your six and turning hard to re-engage, while that A4 is continuing his turn, trying for your six for a heater shot, maybe.

[] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.
[] Stay on the witch. The A4 can turn, but you might be able to drag her away from that hawk and kill 'em one at a time!
[] Separate from the fight, come back in. at a different angle.

>>20693088
[x] Stay on the witch. The A4 can turn, but you might be able to drag her away from that hawk and kill 'em one at a time!

>>20693088
[X] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.

Witches are hell to take down, they're small, they have shields. We go after her the A4 will have all the time in the world to blow us to hell.

We need to take out the plane quick before it can get a bead on us.

>>20693088
[X] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.
Ground attack vs. air superiority fighter usually ends predictably. Should be easy enough to take out the A-4 before the witch gets back.

>>20693088
>[] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.

[] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.
Easy one first. Reduce incoming fire as quickly as possible, then move on to the crazy hard-to-kill sparkle.

>>20693088
[x] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.

File: 1347428886244.jpg-(67 KB, 903x705, yee-haw.jpg)

[x] Immelman, head to head with the A4, and gun his ass down.

You flip your weapon selector to guns as you yank back on the stick, eliciting a grunt from Merlin with the sudden Gs. That A4 jock may be the best of the best of the best or whatever, but, really, he got careless.

Pilots tend to when they're partnered with witches. You've got that on good authority.

You've only got a split second to gain a shot and roll away- he's got his bird pushing it's own maximum speed, and that witch is screaming in from your 10 low, but she's too far to make a difference, here.

Then again, a split second is all you've ever needed. The data packages on your bird tell no lies- that A4 is dead as hell by the end of your brief head-to-head pass, riddled with 20mm rounds.

Now, for the sparkly. She's climbing, at your 10, and in full burner- you can see the shock-cones in her afterburner plume as she rockets skyward. You're not sure, but it looks like she's got those modified stinger AAMs strikers have, as well as a rifle you can't ID from here. Looks like a LMG, maybe? You can't tell.

[] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.
[] turn hard! You'd rather keep the altitude you've got, instead of tracking a witch around mountaintops.

>>20693351
[X] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.

Get some distance, evaluate the situation, enter the fight again on our terms.

>>20693351
[x] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.
Witch turns better.

Fighting against Strikers must be a pain in the ass. Their power to weight ratio probably puts any standard airframe to shame, with a rate of climb and acceleration to match. Not to mention they're supermaneuverable beyond even what a 4.5 gen airframe can do, and can engage at nearly any angle.

The traditional air combat maneuver rulebook developed over the last hundred years or so would go screaming out a window on fire.

>>20693351
>[] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.
I was gonna do the other, but you've got some good points there, anons.

>>20693351
>Stingers
>IR
[X] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.

[x] turn hard! You'd rather keep the altitude you've got, instead of tracking a witch around mountaintops.

I get this feeling that keeping our height is better.

>>20693396
More like they'd tack on 'When fighting witches, EVADE EVADE EVADE until their sparkles run out, which they will, very quickly.'

>>20693411
>Evading an opponent that can fire superiorly, inferiorly, laterally, or posteriorly, beats you in a turning OR a climbing engagement, and can hover
If you've got a suggestion as to how that might be accomplished, I'm all ears.

>>20693472
Itano circus from BVR range.

>>20693472
Uh, we're doing it right now?
Go fast, turn hard to leave her behind. She'll run out of magic before we run out of fuel.

>>20693502
And how have we arrived at that conclusion? Has there been an infodump on how modern jet strikers work that I'm missing that says our bird is less fuel-thirsty than a set of strikers?

And turning goes to the witch too. They basically have vectored thrust.

File: 1347430506226.png-(2.82 MB, 1920x1080, So which one are you.png)

[X] Roll away and dive. She'll have to reverse again to get behind us.

After flying with them for as long as you have, you know that, despite all their advantages, witches aren't impossible targets. Just really, really difficult ones.

You roll inverted and dive away from the A4, who's busily climbing out of the immediate area and probably heading to an anchor so he can orbit and maybe watch. Not everyday you get to see an F14 and a witch tangle, you guess.

Merlin grunts as she twists around- her small boyd lets her move a little more freely in the cockpit, and she's able to keep eyes on the witch as you focus on not slamming into a mountaintop or breaking the hard deck. “She's coming around, she's gonna get behind us!” she cries, twisting as you level out. “She's at Eight, Eight high! Lining up for guns!” you're defensive, but it's not like you can't get away- you've got energy built up to spare, and your cat is howling along without a hitch, her big F110-GE-400 turbofans sucking fuel at an astonishing rate- and generating 123.7kN of thrust.

Each.

That witch, she's been turning and burning pretty hard. The newer gen magical engines they use, you hear, don't take quite as much to keep going, but she's been on her burners since you first saw her, and she's got to be slowing down.

Then again, if she isn't, this is going to be a battle of attrition, and you don't know if you can win that.

[] Get some separation, Roll over, spin round, and come in again!
[] Burn off some energy, Climb again! She's got to be getting tired!
[] Get low, get fast, and lose her in the mountaintops! Magic she may be, but bitch can't see through mountains!
[] other (write in!)

>>20693539
Did you not read the previous threads? It was specifically mentioned that jets can fly longer than witches. We even went over mid-air witch refueling.
Juice boxes. Juice boxes stuffed into external compartments on jets.
>>20693582
[x] Get low, get fast, and lose her in the mountaintops! Magic she may be, but bitch can't see through mountains!
Unless that's her thing that she does. But what are the odds of that?

>>20693582
>[] Get some separation, Roll over, spin round, and come in again!

>>20693582
[X] Get low, get fast, and lose her in the mountaintops! Magic she may be, but bitch can't see through mountains!

We need to fight this on our terms, she's probably still got enough juice left to screw us over.

>>20693592
Pretty damned high. How d'you think she spotted us first?
[X] Get some separation, Roll over, spin round, and come in again!

>>20693582
Get some separation and have Merlin see if she can feel out the other witche's sparkles.

>>20693592
No. No I had not read the previous threads. I have other things I do occasionally.

Get separation. Bleeding smack isn't going to get us anywhere, and staying low lets her gain altitude and drop on us again.

File: 1347433034308.jpg-(115 KB, 600x1000, Yeah, I can see why you l(...).jpg)

[x] Get some separation, Roll over, spin round, and come in again!
[x] Other (our tiebreaker asked merlin to track her)

“Merlin! Can you keep tabs on her? Track her magic or some shit?” You yell, leveling out at 4000 feet and gaining some distance from the witch. Is she starting to slow down? You can't tell.

“Do what?” Merlin asks sounding confused as hell. “Track... no.” She's quiet for a moment. “wait! Let me try something!”

She's quiet for another minute, then she giggles. “I can't track her, not directly. But I can talk with her strikers!”

“Do wha...... nooooo shit.” you say, slightly amazed. You hadn't even thought of that. The hell kind of range does she have, anyway? Cripes. “what are they saying?”

“she's mad. And getting tired”

This? This you can use.

[] drag it out a little more, wear her down
[] she's getting tired? Time to finish this thing!

>>20693816
[x] drag it out a little more, wear her down

A tired enemy is a dead enemy.

>>20693816
[X] drag it out a little more, wear her down

"Merlin, after this I am taking you out for ice cream."

>>20693816
>[] she's getting tired? Time to finish this thing!
I'm sure we've got more things to do in this sortie. By which I mean more suckers to take out.

[x] she's getting tired? Time to finish this thing!

>>20693832
Or whatever she likes to eat/drink (again I warn against treating her like a kid)

>>20693816
[x] drag it out a little more, wear her down
>she's mad
Can we taunt her on the radio or something?

>>20693832
Second - Everyone likes ice cream, and I like happy merlins

File: 1347434744547.jpg-(49 KB, 500x375, where'd that phantom come from.jpg)

[x] drag it out a little more, wear her down

“how tired are we talking, here?” You ask, weaving your fighter to try and get a look at the witch. No dice, you can't see her.

“she's not using afterburners anymore.” Merlin says with a yawn. “getting kind of tired, here”

“it's ok, I know what I need to know. You can stop, if ya want” you say, still mulling it over. She can talk to hostile aircraft? That's pretty intense.

You extend a bit more, pushing your seperation out to almost thirty miles- she's just a tiny black spec in the distance, and if you weren't VMC and a million, you wouldn't even have that.

But it's more than enough. Merlin's already told you she was getting tired, and she's angry- maybe this was supposed to be far, far easier. Maybe you're the first to shoot down her partner. Who knows.

“how's she doing, Merlin?”

“She...she's about ready to call it quit.. quits. I.. I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore.” she says, sounding utterly exhausted. You chuckle. “It's fine. See? That's the other nice part about a Bird like ours. You get all sleepy and tired, and you don't have to worry about crashing. Her, on the other hand...”

“mmmhmm” Merlin says, yawning again.

[] Climb, come in from the sun!
[] High speed pass, head on, just like that fuck in the A4.
[] Come up from below! Not a lot of room to work with, but plenty enough if she's tired!

>>20694044
[x] Climb, come in from the sun!
There is nothing more annoying that being forced to look directly into the sun.

>>20694044
[X] Climb, come in from the sun!

She's tired, angry and now she's going to have a plane coming at her from the sun. She won't be able to aim at us properly due to the glare.

[X] Climb, come in from the sun!

Too bad for the other guy that we have the best Witch.

>>20694044
>[] Climb, come in from the sun!
Does this mean we can pretend we're firing lasers?

File: 1347436597835.jpg-(135 KB, 850x773, the one facing away from (...).jpg)

[x] Climb, come in from the sun!

It's time to end it. You start a climb, pulling back on the stick further and further until your bird is balanced on it's twin afterburner plumes as it roars skywards. You keep the stick back, eventually flipping over and leveling out at nearly 30,000 feet.

“Still got her” Merlin announces tiredly. “she's mushing along at maybe angels 5. headed 080, maybe 60 knots airspeed. I don't think she sees us”

“I don't think so either. Guns?”

“Guns” she agrees.

One of the interesting things about supersonic flight is you're silent. Well, kind of. In this case, the witch, Sara “Battle” Kent, would say she didn't even know she was dead- till her HUD headset started screaming at her and range control told her she was.

Then, she'd add, a fucking F14 with it's blowers full on went past her close enough she could have touched the fucking thing, and had to fight to not get knocked out of the air by the damn shockwave of your passing jet.

Incidentally, it also secured you an early points lead- No other pilot was able to kill both aggressors, and most got shot down. The witches Ice was the only other student to kill both aggressors, and only a few other witches were able to avoid being shot down.

and that's it for tonight folks!

same time, same place next week, conditions permitting. as always, if i didn't use a write in, I'm sorry!

>>20694266
>Kent
ohfuckwhat

>>20694266
We're awesome (by that I mean the MC and Merlin)

But i wonder if Miss Kent is by chance part French and Part English.

>>20694307
>>20694309

It's a damn common name, so unlikely to be what you are referring to.